How to Save a Life
by lawslave
Summary: As a police officer, Jamie Reagan has the chance to make a difference in people's lives everyday. But he'll be presented with a unique opportunity to help save a young life without ever laying eyes on the recipient of a very special gift.
1. Chapter 1

_This story was inspired by a wonderful blog I read on a very selfless act a select few number of people have the opportunity to take part in. I figured that if anyone in the BB universe would do this, it would definitely be Jamie._

 _No real whump in this story; just hoping it inspires a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings in everyone that reads it._

 _I have to give thanks to BlueBlood82 for her help on this. This story was mostly a bare bones and clinical outline with some dialogue in the beginning until she gave me a little motivation to deepen the characters in each scene. Hopefully I got each of them right. :)_

 _November 2010_

"Last but not least, let's not forget that it's our turn to participate in the blood and bone marrow registry drives," Sergeant Renzulli addressed the room of patrol officers before the first tour of the day, some of them grimacing immediately at the thought of getting stuck with needles. He brought his reading glasses down to eyeball some of his more squeamish officers before he continued. "The blood bank bus will be parked outside the precinct throughout the day, so no excuses for not stopping by after tour. I strongly encourage all of you to donate blood at the very least and information is available to anyone who's interested in signing up for the bone marrow registry. Alright everyone, have a good tour. You're dismissed," he finished and waved them all out the door.

While most of the officers began heading out of the room, Officer Jamie Reagan remained behind as he waited for his training officer to get ready for patrol. Jamie stepped over to one of the desks in the corner and read through the pamphlet for the National Bone Marrow Registry.

"You gonna donate, Reagan?" Renzulli asked as he came up behind his boot and slipped his left arm into his uniform jacket.

Jamie looked up from the pamphlet in his hands. "Are you?" he asked.

"I asked first," Renzulli replied and smirked back at Jamie. "What? Are you afraid of needles, college boy?"

"No. I've donated blood before, lots of times," Jamie claimed. "I don't know about this bone marrow thing, though. I think they jam giant needles into your bones to get it out," he said with a grimace.

Renzulli rolled his eyes at the rookie's expression and pointed at the pamphlet before heading out of the room. "That's not the only way they do it and that's only if you're a match to someone who needs it which is like twenty thousand to one. It's only a swab to get put on the registry."

"You registered?" Jamie asked as he followed Renzulli out of the precinct. His boss sounded like he was very familiar with the process.

"No. But you should," Renzulli answered.

Jamie narrowed his eyes at the back of his seargent's head. "Why me? What about you?" he fired back.

Renzulli came to a stop at the passenger's side door of their radio car and turned to address his officer. "Well, you're young and healthy," he explained.

Unfortunately for Renzulli, Jamie was quick to reply. "So that makes you old and -"

"I'd watch what you say next, Harvard," Renzulli warned with a finger aimed across the hood of the car as Jamie made his way to the driver's side.

"Well, I'm game if you are," Jamie chuckled as he got into the car. "Gotta lead by example. Isn't that what you always say, Sarge?" he added once Renzulli was seated next to him.

Renzulli shook his head as he pulled the seatbelt across his torso. The problem with this particular Reagan, as he was quickly learning, was that the damn kid remembered everything he said and was always ready to throw it back in his face. "You're gonna use my own words against me, rookie?" he asked with a frown.

Jamie smiled as he turned the key in the ignition.

Renzulli sighed. "All right, after tour, you and me: blood stick and swab test."

"Deal," Jamie agreed.

Both Renzulli and Jamie did as promised, donating blood and registering with the bone marrow registry, something that would soon be forgotten and remain a distant memory until one day several years later.

* * *

 _March 2014_

"What the heck are you eating?" Eddie Janko asked her partner of seven months as she eyed the bowl in front of him suspiciously. The man ate like a freaking rabbit and sometimes it even made her reconsider her own diet...for about a minute or so when her stomach overruled her brain.

"Huh?" Jamie grunted with a mouthful of his lunch as he looked back at his partner.

"What is that?" Eddie asked again while pointing at his lunch. "It looks like sand," she commented as her nose scrunched up slightly to let him know exactly what she thought of his food.

"It's quinoa," Jamie advised as he stuffed another forkful into his mouth.

Eddie's brow furrowed...it even sounded unappealing. "Keena?" she repeated.

"Quinoa," Jamie corrected. "It's a grain or something," he explained as he scooped some more onto his fork.

"It's something, all right," she mumbled while picking up her own food.

"It's good," Jamie insisted. "Wanna try?" he offered as he held out his fork in her direction.

Eddie grimaced. "No. I think I'll stick to my burger," she responded.

Jamie smirked. He learned very quickly that his partner had no shortage of opinion on anything and everything, including what he ate, and that was just another thing that made her unlike anyone he'd ever met. "Suit yourself."

"Gladly," Eddie said before taking another large bite.

Amused, Jamie put his fork down and stared back at his partner. "You know, you'll live longer if you change the way you eat," he advised.

Eddie rolled her eyes at him. "I'll live happier if I stay away from the things you eat," she snickered.

Jamie opened his mouth to reply when his cell phone rang. He fished it out of his jacket, frowning at the unfamiliar number on the caller ID, but he answered it anyway. "Reagan."

"Jameson Reagan?" a female voice asked.

"Yeah, that's me. Who's this?" Jamie asked in return as Eddie sent him a questioning look from across the table.

"Mr. Reagan, my name is Lily Harris. I work with the National Bone Marrow Registry. You registered with us a several years back, in 2010 to be exact," the caller advised.

Jamie thought back and had a vague recollection of the event - some drive at the precinct that he took part in with Renzulli. "Uh, yeah, that's right. What's this about?" Jamie's brow furrowed as he shrugged at his partner, who stared back at him curiously.

"Well, Mr. Reagan -"

"It's just Jamie," he corrected and brought a hand up to his other ear as the noise in the restaurant grew louder.

"Thank you, Jamie. I'm calling because we wanted to let you know that you are a possible match to be a bone marrow donor," Lily explained.

Jamie's frown deepened and he pointed to the door to let Eddie know he'd be outside. "Seriously?" he asked as he made his way out.

"Yes."

Jamie walked out of the restaurant and found a spot to the left of the entrance where he'd get a little privacy and stay clear of the heavy downtown foot traffic. "Okay. Well, what does that mean, 'possible match'?" he replied, a little stunned to be getting this kind of news.

"You have similar HLA tissue typing to a five year old patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia."

"Woah." Hearing those words together was even more shocking.

"We would need to do additional blood tests to determine if you are, in fact, the best donor for this patient," she continued.

"So you just need to do a blood test right now?" Jamie clarified.

"Yes," Lily confirmed.

Jamie was quiet, not sure what to say.

"Jamie? You still there?"

"Yeah. I'm here. Sorry, this is just a surprise," he responded. He'd completely forgotten that he'd registered for this and to get this call three years later, out of the blue, was surprising.

"I understand. Right now, we just need to know if you are willing to come in for a blood draw so that we can determine if you are in fact the best match," Lily explained.

"You said they're five?" Jamie asked. That was the other fact he couldn't get past.

"Yes."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'll come in," Jamie answered automatically.

"Thank you. It would be great if we could have you come down to the lab on Monday morning, the sooner the better," she told him.

 _Well, it was just a blood test, right?_ he asked himself. _What could it hurt?_ "Yeah, that's fine," Jamie agreed.

"You listed an e-mail address with the NYPD. Can I go ahead and send you the information for the appointment there?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," he repeated. His mind was still reeling and he couldn't seem to expand his vocabulary at the moment.

"Okay. We'll get that out to you today. Thanks, Jamie. You don't know what this means to us," Lily finished.

"Sure," Jamie replied before he heard the call disconnect. He was still processing the call when Eddie came looking for him.

She'd seen him talking on the phone through the window but became concerned when she caught him frozen in place, staring down at his phone and lost in thought. "Hey. You okay, partner?"

Jamie turned to meet her eyes and nodded as he replied. "Yeah. I'm good."

"You don't look like you're good. Who was on the phone?"

Jamie didn't hesitate to share the details of the drive he'd particpated in during his rookie year and the call he'd just received as a result of it.

"Wow. That's heavy. And the kid's five?"

Jamie nodded. "That's what she said."

"That's so unfair," she commented sadly, then she frowned when something he said crossed her mind. "But I don't get it, you're a match but they don't really know if you're a match?"

"Right now I'm a possible match. They have to do more tests to see if I'm the best match for this kid...I don't know, that's what the woman said." He wasn't sure how that worked either.

"So? Are you gonna do it?" Eddie asked.

Jamie's looked uncertain and asked Eddie for her opinion. "I guess I have to, right?"

Eddie could see that he was thrown by this. "You don't have to do anything, but..."

"Yeah...how can I not?" Jamie finished the rest of her thought.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry for the delay, but daily updates won't be possible even though this story short and mostly written. Stealing a moment now to post and then it's back to the trenches. Thank you for all of the reviews! It's been wonderful to know you're all looking forward to how it progresses._

 _Major thanks to Laura Louisa Lewis for reminding me of a very important fact from the show that I completely forgot about when writing this story. I'm still not sure how I could have forgotten such an important fact that ties in perfectly with this story...let me know if you can guess what it was. ;)_

Chapter 2

Frank looked up from his plate, his attention drawn to his youngest son down at the other end of the table. Jamie had been distracted since he'd arrived at the house and the dinnertime conversation was doing little to draw him out, so Frank decided a little nudge was in order. "How was your week, Jamie?" Frank asked.

"You're pretty quiet today," Erin commented as she moved the food around on her plate. Her father wasn't the only one to notice. Jamie wasn't boisterous to begin with but he always threw his two cents into whatever conversation was being had. He may be able to hide it better than the rest of them, but he was still just as opinionated as any other member of the Reagan clan and his silence was proof that something was definitely on his mind.

Jamie looked over to his father and sister, realizing he'd been lost in thought during most of the meal. He'd told himself not to over think Friday's call, there really was nothing for him to decide right now, but he couldn't help it, not when someone else's life could depend on it. "Just thinking and my week was was fine," Jamie replied honestly as he wiped his mouth, but he figured he might as well fill them in...Lord knew that answer would not be enough to satisfy their curiosity. "Actually, I got a surprising call on Friday," he added.

"Surprising how?" Henry asked.

Jamie leaned back in his chair as he prepared to reply. It seemed that he had the attention of everyone at the table now. "A few years back, the precinct had a blood and bone marrow drive. Pretty much everyone gave blood and a lot of people signed up for the bone marrow registry," he explained.

"You one of them?" Danny asked while stuffing a tomato into his mouth, already knowing the answer to his own question. That was the do-gooder kind of stuff the kid would be into.

"Yeah," Jamie nodded.

"So?" Danny asked.

"I got a call that I'm a possible match," Jamie revealed.

Erin's eyes widened in surprise much like everyone else's and she leaned forward to get a look at her little brother, wondering if he was being serious. "To whom?"

Jamie shrugged and leaned against the table. "I don't know. All I know is that it's some five year old kid with some kind of leukemia. Acute lymphob-something," he said, not quite remembering the name right now.

Frank and Henry looked at each other from across the table, both thinking of the same person just at the mention of that horrible illness: Peter Christopher.

"Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia," Linda corrected.

Jamie met his sister-in-law's eyes. "Yeah, that's it," he confirmed.

"Wow. And they're five?" Nicky asked.

Jamie nodded as he reached for his wine glass.

"That's heartbreaking," Erin said. She couldn't imagine going through that with her own child.

"What is that?" Jack asked.

Linda looked at her oldest to explain. "It's a blood cancer, honey. A pretty serious one and it's also the most common cancer for kids, but they have a better chance of beating it than adults."

"That's so sad," Nicky added.

Frank looked around the table and counted the many blessings sitting here with him today. Their family had been deeply scarred by Mary's battle with and subsequent death from cancer. And although she had been taken from them too soon, she had lived a full life, seeing each of her children grow into wonderful young adults and she even experienced being a grandmother three times over. But no child should have to deal with that sort of thing at such a young age. Yet his his older brother did and own parents had to endure tremendous pain in seeing their first born suffer through the illness and die from leukemia, an older brother he had no knowledge of until just last year. The pain of his death was so immense, they decided not to have any more children after his passing and even withheld Peter's existence from him. "Yes. And another reason we all need to consider ourselves lucky and thank God for our good health," he told the group as he sent his father a knowing look.

"Amen," Henry said and held up his glass. He caught Frank's look and felt his throat tighten as the emotions he thought were locked up tight after that night Frank admitted to sending Garrett to sniff around vital statistics resurfaced. Henry thanked the Lord everyday that no other child in the family had suffered through such a serious illness.

"So what are you gonna do?" Danny asked his brother. "You gonna donate your bone marrow?" That was another question Danny suspected he already knew the answer to as well. Jamie would probably give up a kidney to anybody that came off the street and asked him for one.

But Danny and the rest of the group were surprised by Jamie's response. "Not yet, no," he replied. As soon as those words were out, all eyes on him landed on him again.

"What do you mean?" Nicky asked, afraid that her uncle would consider not helping out a little kid...or anyone, for that matter, when the chances of being a complete stranger's match were probably so low.

"They have to do blood tests to see if I'm really the best match. There's nothing for me to do until they determine that," Jamie answered.

"And what if you are?" Frank asked.

"Then they gotta figure out if I'm healthy enough to donate," he explained.

"Look at you! Of course you are," Henry declared, excited by the prospect that his grandson could save the life of child battling leukemia. Modern medicine had advanced by leaps and bounds since the day his Peter Christopher was diagnosed...if such a treatment were available to him back then, he was certain that Sunday dinners would be twice the size they were now, at the very least.

"So you'd donate?" Linda asked.

"I'd have to, right?" Jamie asked back. Maybe he was making too much of this right now, he didn't know if he'd even be able to donate until after the test results came in. But how could he deny someone a chance to beat such a horrible disease? It was all a little nerve-wracking. And he wondered if he was setting himself up for disappointment with the 'should I' or 'shouldn't I' questions if it turned out he wasn't a match anyway?

"You don't have to," Danny replied, repeating Eddie's words from Friday, but he knew his brother would.

"I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I were a match and this kid out there died cause he couldn't get his transplant. I mean, they're five, right?" Jamie asked as if age alone should help him decide.

"You'd probably feel the same way if they were seventy-five," Henry told him. He knew Jamie would help this person regardless of their age, but he understood better than most how heartbreaking it was to consider someone so young battling a monstrous disease.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah." He glanced at his father and when their eyes met, he knew they were having similar thoughts. While Frank thought of his brother at first, his mind now went to his beloved Mary as he and Jamie asked themselves the same questions: where would she be today if she'd had the chance to receive such a precious gift like this from a total stranger? Would he even want to think that anyone would consider not trying to save her life if a donor was found for her?

"So, if you are a match, how do they get it out of you?" Sean asked.

"They sent me some information, but it depends on how the recipient's doctor wants it. Either stem cells from my blood or bone marrow from my hip."

"But how do they get them?" Sean asked again...whatever it was, he didn't think it would be any fun.

"The stem cells - they hook you up to a machine, blood comes out from the donor through an IV line, runs through the machine and stem cells are pulled out of the blood and then the blood is returned to the donor," Linda summarized the process.

Sean grimaced as he played with the food on his plate...it was just as he suspected. "That does not sound fun," replied.

"Not sure which method is more fun - that or having a needle the size of a straw jammed into my hips. That's the other way," Jamie went on to explain.

"Yeah, but they say it's not too bad," Linda assured him. "You go under general and you're sore for a few weeks after."

Sean's eyes widened comically and he dropped his fork onto his plate with a loud clank. "A giant needle sounds bad too."

"Well, if it comes to that, you think of the good you're doing," Frank suggested.

"Yeah, that's a pretty amazing gift," Erin said with a small smile.

"Yeah, it is," Jamie agreed.

"So when do you get the blood tests done?" Danny asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Jamie advised. "But I probably won't hear anything for a while; it takes time for the results to come back and then the recipient's doctor has to sign off on everything."

"We'll keep our fingers crossed," Frank said and brought his glass up for a drink.

* * *

Eddie followed Jamie back into the radio car and tossed her memo book onto the dashboard. "What an absolute you-know-what that guy was!"

Jamie couldn't hold back his grin. He could tell this traffic stop was going to be one of those guys that didn't think the rules applied to them because the size of their bank balance and the make of his flashy car...so he had selfishly let his partner take the lead. "No, I don't know. What exactly was he?" Jamie asked, knowing Eddie was all fired up.

"Don't start with me, Reagan!" she warned and jabbed a finger into his arm. "You're getting the next snooty I'm-too-rich-to-talk-to-the-likes-of-you jerks we get driving a car that's just compensating for the fact that they're insecure, short, balding and middle aged all at the same time!"

Jamie chuckled as he reached for his phone in the center console. He saw that he'd missed a call and hit the voicemail button to pick up the message while Eddie continued venting in her seat.

Eddie ran out of steam eventually and glanced at her partner who'd been sitting quietly. She did a double take when she saw the look of surprise on his face as he brought the phone down from his ear.

"Everything okay, Jamie?" Eddie asked worriedly.

Jamie blinked repeatedly as Eddie drew his attention. "Uh, yeah," he responded.

"Then what's with the face?" she asked.

Jamie looked down at the phone in his hand and shook his head to clear his mind. "That was the lady from the bone marrow registry," he revealed.

"What'd she want?"

He was starting to think he needed to replay the message in case he heard her wrong, but he knew those were just the nerves talking. He faced Eddie as he shared the news. "She called to tell me I'm a match."

Eddie's eyes widened. "To the kid?" she blurted out.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Wow. I forgot you you were still waiting to hear back on that. What's it been, like a month since you went in, right?"

"Just over," Jamie replied, still in shock that this was really happening. He had begun to think that maybe he wasn't a match and they just hadn't bothered to let him know.

"That's good, I guess, right? You'll be able to help them," she said as a smile grew on her face.

Jamie nodded and smiled in return. "Yeah, it is. I guess I just wasn't really expecting to hear that," he said. "The odds were just so low."

"I'm sure. So what's next?"

"A complete physical," he advised as he turned pensive.

Eddie let out a short laugh. "That's no big deal. They could pass you just based off the crap you eat everyday," she joked, but became concerned when she got no reaction from her partner. "You okay? Do you want to do this?" she asked. It was a big decision and it was his to make.

Jamie met his partner's eyes. "Yeah. I do. It's just a little overwhelming, but I really do want to do it," he confirmed with a tight smile.

"Not everyday you get to save a life," Eddie said while she reached out to squeeze his arm.

"No, it's not...even considering what we do for a living," Jamie replied.

"Hey," Eddie said as she patted his arm to get him to look at her. "If you need help with any part of this, you let me know. I mean it."

Jamie could see that she did and he appreciated it. "I will. Thanks, partner."

Eddie nodded before her lips formed a little smirk and her eyes twinkled.

"What?" Jamie asked nervously as his eyes narrowed. He had learned very quickly that the expression on his partner's face usually meant trouble of some sort.

"If you're gonna be donating bone marrow or stem cells, we gotta make sure you eat more than just that rabbit food you obsess over."

"I obsess over food?!" he asked incredulously.

"We gotta get some red meat into you, help you make some nice fat, red blood cells!" Eddie proclaimed as she planned all of the places they would hit to compete that mission.

"Oh brother," Jamie sighed as he put the car in gear, amused by his partner's determination to fatten-up his blood cells. "Not sure that's necessary, Eddie," he said, but his partner was already consumed by thoughts of their next meal.

"Oh! Let's hit up that pub on tenth for some steak sandwiches!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for all of the lovely reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying the main theme of the story. And it's been great hearing directly from some of you about this particular topic._

 _This story is moving at a fast pace; faster than the last one, huh? But this was not a story I wanted to drag out. My main focus has been on the act itself and the support Jamie receives from all sides. Hope you enjoy this next update and please keep the reviews coming._

Chapter 3

"Hey, dad, grandpa," Jamie greeted as he walked through the kitchen door a few days later. He'd purposely waited to deliver the news on the donor match until he had more information on the process and, boy, did he have that information now. The heavy thud made by the package he'd brought when he dropped it on the counter was proof of that.

"Hey, son," Frank greeted back from where he was taking his seat at the kitchen table.

"Jamie! You're just in time. I was just getting dinner on the table," Henry advised.

"Great, I'm starved," he replied as he shrugged out of his jacket and grabbed the large, manila envelope. Jamie sat next to his father and dropped the package on one end of the table.

Henry brought the entree over and took his own seat, eyeing the mysterious envelope his grandson had lugged in. "What's in there? You bringing paperwork home from the precinct now?"

"No, not quite," Jamie answered as he reached for a serving spoon. He looked up at the two older men before making his announcement. "I got word from the registry that I am, in fact, a match for that five year old kid," he said with an excited smile on his face.

Henry paused just as he was about to drop a dollop of mashed potatoes onto his plate. "No kidding?" he asked. It was what he had been praying for, what with Peter Christopher on his mind ever since Jamie told them about the sick child.

"That's good news, Jamie!" Frank exclaimed. As nervous as Jamie seemed about the situation, he knew that ultimately he would have been disappointed if he could not help the child.

The smile remained on Jamie's face. He was eager to help this child but still couldn't believe he was really his match. "Yeah, it is," he replied as he continued loading his plate. "So all this stuff," he jutted his head in the direction of the envelope, "is all of the paperwork, consent forms, informational materials, that they make you go through before we start the next step which is the physical."

"That's a pretty thick envelope," Henry commented.

"They gotta dot their I's and cross their T's and make sure donors know exactly what they're in for," Jamie explained.

"Lawyers...," Henry grumbled, earning a smirk from his grandson.

"So what exactly are you in for, Jamie?" Frank wondered.

"They said that the recipient's doctor requested peripheral blood stem cells, so they'll be getting those by hooking me up to that machine Linda mentioned," he advised just before taking a bite. He had actually been relieved to hear that; he preferred that over going under anesthesia to get the bone marrow from his pelvic bones, regardless of how long he'd have to be hooked up to a machine, which was Henry's next question.

"How long does that take?" Henry asked as he eyed the fat envelope again. _Maybe this was a bigger ordeal than any of them thought_ , he fretted to himself.

"Depends on how many cells they have to collect. Could be a day or two of being hooked up to the machine for hours at a time or something like that."

"Two days?" Frank asked as his brows arched upwards.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah. They need to get a certain amount for the treatment the kid needs," he explained and went back to his dinner. They were reaching the same conclusion he had once he'd dived into the literature...this wouldn't be as quick and painless a process as any of them would have expected, but that wasn't going to change his mind. He had to do this; what was a little inconvenience on his part compared to everything this child was going through?

"Well," Frank sighed, thinking the same thing... _this sounded like a pretty big endeavor._

"Not to mention the shots I'll have to get during the days leading up to the collection," Jamie added through a full mouth of food. He didn't want to leave any steps out or the whole family might come back later and interrogate him on it although he might try to steer clear of the known complications they warned about if they didn't ask him straight out...he came from a family of worrywarts.

"What kind of shots?" Frank asked first.

"Some drug to step up stem cell production in your bones. I have more information on it in the package."

"Are there any draw backs?" Henry followed up.

Jamie casually nodded...so much for avoiding the risks.

Frank and Henry traded looks. They both knew all medical procedures had their risks and all medications their side effects, but now that Jamie was going through with the donation, they wanted to make sure they were aware of everything that was to be expected. "Like?" Frank asked.

"With the shots - some pain in your bones, like the growing pains you get as a kid," Jamie advised.

"And the donation?" Henry inquired as he cut up his chicken.

"Mainly fatigue. And maybe some bruising from the IV sites," Jamie said, purposely leaving out some of the more dangerous risks like shock, heart attack and blood clots. The chances of him having any of those issues were low and he could see that the other two men were already beginning to grow concerned. What they didn't know hopefully wouldn't hurt them...or him, for that matter.

Frank looked at his youngest with a furrowed brow. "So you'll either be on limited duties or out completely for a short time. You can't be on patrol if you're not one hundred percent," he stated as he eyed Jamie to make sure he knew that would not be up for debate. "How long after 'til you're back to normal?"

"A week or two," Jamie answered.

Henry put down his utensils. "Sounds like you've gone through all of the materials," he said, not the least bit surprised that his grandson was thoroughly informed on the matter. He was taking this very seriously and tackling it like every other major endeavor in his life.

"Yeah, I have."

"Well, let us know when you get everything scheduled," Frank requested. They planned to be with him every step of the way.

"I don't know how soon it'll be. That'll depend on the kid's doctor and when he's ready to start the treatment," Jamie said. The sitting around and waiting would have him feeling antsy, but he'd be ready when they needed him.

"Speaking of the kid, any chance you'll find out who he is? Get a name so we can call him something other than 'kid'?" Henry asked. Jamie was giving this child such a precious gift, one that would hopefully save his life. He deserved to have an identity rather than being some distant, faceless person.

Jamie shook his head in disappointment. "Afraid not, at least not in the near future; anonymity is required for the first year. And there's all sorts of privacy issues going both ways, unless both parties agree. But in this case, I'm open to communication, so it's really up to the kid and his parents to reach out."

"That's too bad," Frank said.

"Yeah," Jamie agreed. If this helped the child, he would love to meet him some day and not because he expected anything in return, not even a 'thanks', but because he'd forever have a connection with this person.

* * *

Frank placed his hand across Jamie's forehead, relieved to find that his fever had come down again. Jamie was on day three of four daily injections of a growth-factor drug that causes the bone marrow to make and release stem cells into the blood. He had been warned of the possible side effects weeks ago when he went through the collection process with his liaison at the bone marrow registry. And the home health nurse had again reminded them of those side effects the first morning she'd come by the house to administer the medication.

They had been hoping Jamie would not be susceptible to the side effects, not because they were all that serious, but becuase they were more of a nuisance. However, it had not been long after that first dose that the headaches and low-grade fever began. By day two, some bone pain and a touch a nausea had settled in, but still, he'd powered through two tours at the precinct without much complaint. Jamie's logic through this process was and always would be that he had his own health to be thankful for and few days of discomfort was nothing to whine about compared to what other people had to deal with everyday.

And day three? Well, just about every side effect of the drug hit with a heavy fatigue being the last to make an appearance. Luckily for Jamie, it was Sunday and his day off and so far, he had spent most of the day on the couch either napping or too damn tired and uncomfortable to care that he now had three mother hens watching over him - Frank, Henry and Erin. Make it four if you counted Nicky...like mother, like daughter. Or was it five what with Eddie checking in on him every few hours on his cell?

Frank replaced the blanket that Jamie had kicked to the floor over his relaxed form when he saw the last of the family make their way to the rear of the house. Sean and Jack came barreling through the kitchen door with Danny and Linda following closely behind them.

"Hey, GGs!" Henry greeted from his position in front of the stove.

"Gang's all here," Frank announced as he walked back into the kitchen from the sunroom.

Danny looked around the room, spotting his sister and Nicky at the island, but not his kid brother. "Not quite. Where's Jamie?" he asked as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

"In a drug-induced coma on the couch," Erin informed him as she traded a sad smile with her father.

"Drug induced? What's wrong?" Linda asked as she and Danny peeked into the sunroom and caught site of Jamie passed out on on the sofa, laying on his stomach with his arms wedged in between the cushions and a blanket neatly tucked around his lanky frame.

"He had his third shot today. The headaches, soreness and nausea from medication have been relentless so far. He just took one of the Tylenol 3s his doc gave him," Frank advised.

"That bad?" Linda asked as she stepped over to the stove to help Henry.

"He had a low fever and he said he felt like he over did it at the gym," Erin shared.

"Then it's good he had the Tylenol," Linda commented.

"So he's had three shots? How many more does he have to get?" Danny asked worriedly. If this is how he felt just from the injections he had to take before he donated, what was getting hooked up to a blood-sucking machine going to do to him?

"Just one, before the donation tomorrow," Frank said.

"Who's been giving him the shots?" Linda wondered.

"A home health nurse vetted by the registry. She's been coming over here every morning," Henry advised.

"He's staying here?" Danny questioned; that was a surprise.

"Of course," Frank answered.

"How'd you manage that?" Linda asked. While he was the baby of the two older generations of Reagans, Jamie did not take well to being mothered, or smothered as he preferred to call it. The only one that got away with such behavior was his own mother and even then, Jamie protested loudly.

"Pop strong-armed him until he finally caved," Frank mused with a smirk aimed at his father. And they accused him of being overprotective...

"When you're getting shot up with some weird drug, you gotta make sure someone's keeping an eye on you. Look at the poor boy! He shouldn't be all by himself in that apartment of his feeling the way he does! And if I didn't do it, you would have, Francis," Henry defended himself.

Erin laughed. "He's got you there, dad," she pointed out.

Danny turned to his sister and raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Look who's talking! You would have been next in line to have the kid stay with you, sis. You would have grabbed him by the ear and dragged him home if you had to," he snickered before turning to his father. "So I take it he's been playing house mouse?"

"Yes, he has," Frank confirmed.

"Even more fun," Danny mumbled.

"I really hope this helps the little kid," Nicky said as she mixed the salad for dinner.

"Me too," Erin added.

Frank pressed his lips together and nodded thoughtfully. "We all do."

"Will he find that out?" Linda asked.

"We don't know. Jamie said there are all sorts of privacy rules. Even so, it would be a while before they see results," Frank told the family.

"That's too bad," Erin commented.

"I agree," Frank replied sadly.

Xxxx

Danny walked into the sunroom and placed a tall glass of orange juice on the side table next to his little brother. The kid had slept all through dinner and hadn't begun to stir until after the rest of the family was finishing up dessert. Now he sat cross-legged on one end of the couch with a bowl of the Irish Stew that had been set aside for him in between his hands. Danny smirked as Jamie dug into his meal; the shots he was getting might have him feeling off, but it had done nothing to affect his appetite.

"Thanks, Danny," Jamie thanked his brother as he scooped up his next bite.

"Sure thing, kid," the older sibling replied as he took a seat on the sofa to keep Jamie company while the rest of the family worked together in the kitchen. Danny looked between the basketball game on the television and his little brother. "So how are you feeling?"

"Fine," Jamie answered automatically without so much as a glance in his brother's direction.

"Liar," Danny smirked. Jamie looked like he could go back down for another long nap, but at least his fever was gone. Erin had confirmed that with a quick brush of his forehead, much to Jamie's chagrin. But if she hadn't done it, he would have had Frank, Henry and Linda lying in wait to do the same thing.

Jamie smiled as he rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm tired and achy, like I got the flu," he conceded. "Happy?"

"No, but it's good for you remember that you're a terrible liar, always were," Danny grinned. "So? You ready for this thing tomorrow?" he asked. The big brother in him was a little worried about it.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Jamie admitted. Three months had gone by between the time he'd first received word that he was a match to now. It felt like an eternity had passed what with his nervous anticipation of the big event. He'd been set to begin the preparations for donation a month ago, but the kid had hit some sort of roadblock and the collection had been delayed until his doctor gave word that he was ready. And now the day was almost here and his stomach was full of butterflies as were those of the rest of the family, present company included.

"Who's taking you?" Danny inquired as he went through what he might have going on at work tomorrow...maybe he'd have time to stop by the hospital at some point.

"What do you mean who's taking me? I'm taking myself," Jamie insisted.

Danny snorted, amused by Jamie's assumption. "You forget about your two roommates in there," he reminded him with a thumb pointed back toward the kitchen.

Jamie traded his bowl for the glass of juice on the side table. "Point taken."

"Just saying," Danny mumbled around a knowing smile. There was no way the kid was getting away with doing this on his own tomorrow. His staying here the last few days was proof of that already.

"I just don't want everyone making a big deal about this," Jamie explained before taking a sip.

"Too late for that. And it is a big deal, little brother. You have a chance to save a kid's life here in a way that no one else on the planet ever could. I'm proud of you," Danny said with a playful nudge. It was true, they were all proud of him. And they were cops, they often had the chance to help people and possibly save some lives, but this was different...it was special.

Jamie pursed his lips to hide his smile as a light blush rose on his cheeks. For all of their differences, it still meant the world to him to have his big brother's respect. "Thanks, Danny."


	4. Chapter 4

_Here's the next installment; getting into the donation itself and Henry decides to share his secret. Enjoy!_

Chapter 4

Jamie looked over at his father who sat next to him in the treatment room of the St. Victor's Hospital Blood Bank. Danny was right yesterday when he'd reminded him that there was no way he was going to be allowed to come down to the hospital all on his own. But the ride in his father's tricked-out SUV along with his security detail seemed a little much to him. However, it was all out of his hands as there had been no doubt left in his mind that the entire Reagan clan had collaborated to ensure he was accompanied during every second of the next few days.

"Dad, you don't have to stay," he said as he eyed the PC sitting in a metal frame chair in his three piece suit looking more nervous than even he was feeling...his father's old, childhood friend was right when he said that Frank Reagan's eyebrows had a language all of thier own. Right now they were silently questioning him on whether he really wanted to go through with this as Frank eyed the rather intimidating aspheresis machine Jamie would soon be connected to.

Frank plastered a smile on his face to hide his nerves. He hated hospitals...well, of course no one _liked_ hospitals unless it was to welcome a new addition to the family, but he _really_ hated hospitals. With his line of work, a trip to the hospital was never, ever a good thing and almost always meant delivering grave news to a grief-stricken family. That, combined with his mother, Mary and, of course, his Joe, he couldn't help the bitter taste that rose in the back of his throat whenever he crossed the threshold into a hospital. With all of the practice he had, he was a master at hiding his discomfort, but if he was honest, right now he was having trouble keeping his own worries locked away considering the risks his youngest was facing right now. Jamie may have purposely omitted the larger complications that could come with this process that night months ago when they first asked about the drawbacks of donating, but Frank had taken it upon himself to research the procedure thoroughly, something he regretted when words like 'heart attack' and 'blood clots' appeared in the short list of complications to be mindful of. But who was he to tell his son not to do this when it could very well save someone else's life? He too would take the same risks to save a life.

"Sure I do. Somebody's got to entertain you while you're tethered to a machine for hours," Frank reasoned.

Jamie wrinkled his forehead in amusement. "Entertain or watch over me?" he asked.

"Entertain," Frank confirmed. "You'll thank me later when you're not bored out of your mind," he added and smiled back at his son.

Jamie shook his head and sat back against the wide, plush recliner he was occupying in a more private end of the treatment room. After they had arrived, he'd been fitted with an ID bracelet, his vitals had been documented, finger pricked for another blood test (Jamie wasn't sure how many more blood tests they could possibly do at this point) and his last shot was administered before he was left to relax so that it did what it was supposed to do. He sat with pillows positioned under each arm and behind his neck. His shoes had been removed to allow access for his blood pressure to be taken at the ankles since his arms would be hooked up to the IVs.

Jamie turned back to observe his nurse, Sara, as she moved about getting bags, tubing and some crazy looking needles ready, the latter causing Jamie's stomach clench for a moment. "Don't you have to go to work?" he asked his father in order to distract himself.

Frank shrugged noncommittaly even though he did have a rather full day ahead of him, his stomach flip-flopped just as Jamie's had as he also took in all of the medical paraphernalia. "In a bit. I have to head to the the Mayor's office, right about the time someone else comes by to sit with you," he said, purposely leaving out the identity of his next sitter.

"Of course," Jamie snickered. He assumed it would be another watchful Reagan, but couldn't help smiling anyway. Maybe his father was right, it would be good to have some entertainment and a little distraction while he was here.

Pretty soon, they were ready to begin and a gray-haired doctor soon walked in with Lily Harris. "Dr. Diehl, I'd like you to meet our donor, Jamie Reagan, and this is his father, Commissioner Reagan."

"Jamie, Commissioner, it's a pleasure," he greeted and exchanged pleasenatries with each Reagan before getting down to business. "I think we're ready to get started. Are you ready, Jamie?" the doctor asked.

"I am," Jamie answered. And he really was. He was a little anxious and was hoping that feeling would go away when they got started, then there would be no turning back.

Dr. Diehl spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the workings of the machine in detail, which Jamie had already read about, and was instructed to advise the nurse of certain side effects. "All of the blood in your body will go through the machine two and a half times each day that you're here," the doctor finished.

Jamie's brows arched up. "Wow. That's kind of weird," he commented. He was getting more anxious and just wished they'd get him hooked up and flip the switch already.

Frank smiled at Jamie's obvious nerves.

"So, we'll make your right arm the 'out,'" he said as he inserted a needle into a vein in the crook of Jamie's right arm with his donor looking on curiously. The doctor taped down the needle before continuing. "All set there. And the left will be the 'in,'" he advised as he inserted a needle in Jamie's left hand, thankfully a much smaller one than the one he used in the right arm, but both went in smoothly and with minimal discomfort.

"All done here," Dr. Diehl announced and motioned to Sara to turn the machine on which began to whir and hum. Eventually, clear liquid began to drip into the bag closest to Jamie. "Those are the stem cells," Sara pointed out.

And so it went, with Jamie sitting calmly in the recliner while the machine did its job. Jamie hadn't been connected for very long before there was a heavy knock against the wall. Both men turned to find Sergeant Renzulli staring back, his eyes widened comically as he took in his old boot sitting back, hooked up to a wicked-looking machine with two IV lines poking out of his arms. But his face took on a more neutral expression when he saw the amusement on both Jamie and the Commissioner's faces.

"Sergeant Renzulli," Frank greeted as he stood to shake the man's hand.

"Good morning, sir. Hey, Harvard. I'd shake your hand, but it looks like you're tied up there," Renzulli joked and waived in Jamie's direction instead.

"Quite literally," Frank quipped.

"So how'd you get roped into coming in to sit with me, Sarge?" Jamie asked as he sent his father a knowing look.

Frank shrugged innocently.

Renzulli didn't miss the silent exchange between father and son. "That was my doing. Considering I'm probably the reason you're here, I was curious about what it was like. Remember, I signed up right along with ya way back when. Maybe I'll get a chance to do this one day too."

"Well, I'm gonna head out. I can't keep the Mayor waiting," Frank said as he checked his watch. Part of him was tempted to blow off his meeting and stick around but he knew that was not possible; at least he was leaving Jamie in safe hands. "Call me if you need anything," he ordered both Jamie and Renzulli as he gathered his coat.

"Will do, sir. You have a good day."

"Bye, Dad," Jamie said as his father walked out of the room, but not before shooting him one last worried glance over his shoulder.

Jamie smirked at his CO who remained rooted to the spot across the room and waved to the empty chair his father had vacated. "Take a seat, Sarge. You're making me nervous over there."

"Ha! I'm making you nervous?" he asked as he sat down and glanced at the catheters in his arms. "Quit moving your arms, that's what's making me nervous."

Jamie chuckled lightly. "I forgot you're squeamish around needles, Sarge."

"Who? Me?" Renzulli huffed

"Yeah, you," Jamie confirmed. "You got white as a sheet that day we gave blood...and the next year too."

"Did not," Renzulli pouted...well, maybe he did. He hated needles, always did. But he had to set an example for everyone else and it was the only reason he donated every year when the blood bank bus parked itself outside of their precinct. He couldn't have his guys thinking he was afraid of a little needle, but his old boot had a keen eye and picked up on his distress while they donated together years ago.

"Alright," Jamie conceded, deciding to cut his CO a little slack. "You sure you wanna be here?" he asked as he noticed the way his eyes nervously scanned the room.

"Like I said, I got ya into this, didn't I?" he stated.

"You sure did. Thanks, Sarge." He wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for a little good-natured ribbing between partners.

"No problem, Harvard."

Renzulli distracted Jamie with conversation as Lily came in and out of the room, trying to get some other work done while making sure everything was proceeding smoothly. Sara adjusted dials, straightened lines, hung new bags of liquid, checked Jamie's temperature, recorded his vitals and asked about side effects - none so far. Meanwhile, the blood bank was a abuzz with activity: another man in the next bed was also donating stem cells, with his own family member hovering nervously while something happened behind a curtain next to them with masked nurses going in and out. Just another busy day at the blood bank.

"How are you feeling, Jamie?" Renzulli asked again, like he had done several times over the past few hours.

"Fine. It's strange...doesn't feel like anything's really happening," he said as looked at the IV lines filled with his blood.

"That means everything's going according to plan," Sara explained. "I'll be back to check on you in a little while, Jamie. Just holler if you need anything," she said.

"Okay," Jamie said as he watched Sara leave the room. He was about to turn to his old TO when he saw two familiar faces come through the doorway. "Look, who's here," he announced and smiled at his new visitors.

Linda walked over, dressed in her scrubs, with Henry following behind carrying a brown paper bag.

"Hey, I found this one wandering the hallways on my way over for a visit," Linda said.

"This place is like a maze. Didn't think I'd ever find the right room," Henry complained as he greeted the sergeant and took the seat next to him.

Linda was pleased to see Jamie so at ease. "How's it going, Jamie?"

"Better than expected, thankfully," Jamie replied. The collection was going a lot more smoothly than the three days of prep.

"That's good cause that really looks like some set up you got there," Henry commented as he took in the machinery and tubing.

Linda crossed her arms in front of her, unfazed by it all. "So how long do you have to be hooked up here?" she asked.

"He's more than halfway through the four hours they want today," Renzulli advised. He'd been paying close attention to everything the nurses said and did. The last thing he needed was for anything to happen to the Commissioner's kid on his watch. And like he said before, he was the reason he was here in the first place.

Henry whistled. "Well, if you're allowed to eat, I brought some food."

"Of course you did," Jamie said. "Maybe later, Grandpa." He wasn't hungry yet, but he was feeling like he could take a nap. He didn't know if it was the procedure itself or just the constant whir of the machine that was giving him the urge to close his eyes.

Linda looked Jamie over once again and smirked. "You know, this would probably be the only way I'd get you brother to sit still for longer her than two minutes," she said.

Jamie laughed. "Then you're gonna have to get him swabbed and cross your fingers he'll be someone's match," he replied. That sparked an idea and Jamie made mental note to talk to Lily about a family field trip to her office.

"I think we all need to get swabbed. It's a pretty amazing thing you're getting to do, Jamie," she said on a more serious note.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed, smiling as Linda echoed his thoughts.

Both Renzulli and Linda soon said their goodbyes; Linda went back to work while Renzulli headed home to get ready for his shift later that afternoon. So when it was just the two of them, Henry knew it was the right time to share his secret with Jamie. It was the right thing to do and it felt like the only way to really let Jamie know how truly amazing his actions were. He'd had the urge to tell him about it ever since the subject of bone marrow donation first came up. Henry studied Jamie for a few moments before he got the courage to reveal a long kept secret. "Jamie, do you understand how special this is?"

Jamie turned his head toward his grandfather and nodded subtly. "I guess. I mean, I just hope it'll do the little kid some good. It kind of bums me out a little that we may never know if it made a difference."

"You shouldn't feel 'bummed,'" Henry replied, smirking at the use of that term before glancing down at his hands and turning serious.

Jamie frowned at the sudden change of expression in the older man's face, but his grandfather was speaking again before he had a chance to question him.

"I'm gonna tell you a little secret, but you gotta promise me you won't tell a soul," Henry implored.

Jamie got nervous at the sudden emotion in his grandfather's expressive eyes. "What is it, pops? You alright?" he worried, his mind jumping to conclusions that this had something to do with his health.

"I'm fine, don't you worry about me, kid," Henry assured him, seeing that he had needlessly worried the poor boy. "You're not getting rid of me yet!"

"That's good to hear," Jamie sighed in relief, but that did nothing to alleviate his concern. His grandfather still looked apprehensive.

"But all this talk of leukemia and this sick child," Henry continued, "brought up a lot of old memories for me," he confessed.

"Memories?" Jamie asked in confusion.

Henry looked into the kind face of his youngest grandson and all of a sudden the heavy burden he'd been carrying the last few months lifted from his shoulders as he found himself telling him something few people knew about. "Your grandmother and I had another son, Peter Christopher. He would have been about two and a half by the time your dad was born."

Jamie stared back, dumbfounded by what he had just heard. His first thought was that his grandfather was pulling his leg, but the older man didn't look like he was joking. And what kind of strange joke would that be anyway?. "Seriously?" he asked, unsure of what to make of that revelation.

"Yes," Henry answered with a solemn nod.

Jamie repeated his grandfather's words in his head and his eyes narrowed as he considered his statement. "What do you mean by 'would have been'? What happened, pops?" he inquired, but his mind was beginning to put some pieces together since it had been his current situation that brought all of this up for the older man.

"Peter passed from leukemia at eighteen months," Henry revealed.

"Woah," Jamie whispered as he faced forward again, stunned by the family secret.

"Yeah...and we're talking about medicine in the 1950s; it wasn't what it is today. Linda said kids today are more likely to beat this disease. Peter was a fighter," Henry said fondly as he thought back to his beloved first born child. "He held on longer than the docs expected him to but the disease won out in the end."

"I'm really sorry, grandpa," Jamie said softly. He could see that it was still painful for him to talk about, even after all of these years.

"Me too, kid," Henry smiled back sadly.

Jamie's thoughts turned to why they never knew about their Uncle Peter. "How come you never said anything?"

Henry sighed and gave him the same explanation he gave Frank when he found out about his brother. "Your grandmother took Peter's death very hard. She constantly worried when we had your father that he could be taken away from us just as easily. That was why we never tried for more kids after he came along. And because it was so painful, your grandmother swore me to secrecy. Not even your father knew. We didn't want him to mourn someone he never knew."

"Really?" Jamie asked as his eyes widened. He couldn't believe no one ever knew, not even his father.

"Yeah, well at least he didn't, not until last year. Your dad got suspicious one day and went snooping around vital statistics...nosey son of a gun," Henry huffed.

"Like father, like son," Jamie shot back with a smirk.

"Haha," Henry mocked. "But seriously, I wanted to tell you so many times since that Sunday dinner you first brought this up," he admitted.

"Why didn't you? I wouldn't have told anyone," Jamie swore. It was clear that this had been weighing heavily on him again, even after so many years.

"I know you wouldn't have, son." Henry was certain that his secret was truly safe with him. "But I guess I just didn't want to influence you one way or another. I wanted you to do this because you wanted to, not that I ever had any doubt that you would once you were confirmed to be match. I think you were more worried about the prospect of being told you couldn't donate." Henry smiled at Jamie, feeling really blessed to have such a wonderful young man for a grandson. "I just want you to understand how much it will mean to this family, to this child, that a perfect stranger was willing to offer a piece of themselves to save their life. I'm really proud of you, son. This is a wonderful thing you're doing," Henry said, his voice growing rough with emotion near the end.

Jamie had to look away for a moment as he was overcome by his grandfather's sentiments. "Thanks, grandpa."

"Enough of that." Henry took in a deep breath to compose himself, fearing that if he went on a few tears might be shared as well. "How about some lunch?" he asked, turning to the one thing he did best: feed his family. Henry was relentless and eventually convinced Jamie to eat and after a few bites of the sandwich Henry had brought and with just over an hour to go, fatigue set in and Jamie lost the battle to stay awake.

Henry was doing the day's crossword puzzle when Lily came back in to check on her donor. "How's it going, Henry?" she whispered when she found that Jamie was sound asleep.

"Good. He passed out a while ago, couldn't keep his eyes open," he responded.

"When you're hooked up to the aspheresis machine, your heart's working harder than usual to pump all of that blood. It's like running a marathon without moving at all," Lily explained. "I was just talking to Sarah, it seems like we're pretty close to being done for today. Maybe another thirty minutes and he'll be free to go. Then they'll determine how much was collected and figure out how long we'll need him tomorrow."

"He'll be glad to wake up to that news, I'm sure," Henry responded.

And Lily was right. Thirty minutes later, the machine beeped and Sara confirmed that Jamie was indeed done. Sarah approached her patient and gently shook his shoulder. "Jamie," she said as she tried rousing him.

Jamie's head rolled against the pillow and his eyes opened slowly. He looked around the room, momentarily disoriented, but quickly remembered where he was when he spotted the machine. "Yeah," he responded.

"You're finished for today. I'm gonna get these needles out of you and if you're feeling okay, you're free to go home," Sara advised.

Jamie let his head drop back onto the pillow. "Okay," he said as he struggled to awaken completely.

"You look like you could use another few hours of sleep," Henry commented.

Jamie kept his eyes on Sara as she removed one needle and applied a pressure bandaged to the site. "I feel like it, too," he rasped.

Once Sara had freed him from the machine, Jamie sat up and brought his feet to the ground, but closed his eyes as the room spun momentarily.

"You okay, son?"

Sara immediately picked up on his bout of dizziness. "Stay where you are for a bit and drink this," she instructed while placing a small, plastic bottle of apple juice in the palm of Jamie's hand. "Don't get up until it passes."

Jamie rubbed his hands across his face, finding the room still once again when his eyes reopened, but did as he was told as Henry looked on with concern. After finishing the bottle of juice and letting several more minutes pass, he slipped his feet into his sneakers and was ready to go. "I'm good," he replied with a tired smile and waited for Sara to give him the green light before he turned to his grandfather. "Ready when you are."


	5. Chapter 5

_Boss is away, so I can breathe a little. :)  
_ _Here's the next chapter; hoping to get the last one up tomorrow._

Chapter 5

The second day went much like the first, the only difference being that Jamie's appointment at the blood bank was pushed back a few hours. And it wasn't surprising when Erin showed up at their father's house just before he was set to head into the city. She had been assigned to escort him to the hospital, claiming that her morning schedule was clear and she had nothing pressing until the afternoon, at which time Jamie was certain someone else had been assigned to sit with him. He was still a little tired from his first session with the aspheresis machine the day before and decided to just go with it; it was out of his hands anyway.

Erin watched the same nurse and doctor from the prior day get him set up and connected to the machine much like his father had - with wide eyes and serious doubts about the whole process. Jamie, on the other hand, was unfazed since he already knew what to expect and seeing her little brother so relaxed throughout that first part had helped ease Erin's nerves. They'd chatted for a little while about a few of her upcoming trials until the fatigue began to set in again. Jamie grew quiet and laid his head back against the pillow finding the monotonous whir of the machine soothing now.

Erin studied her brother, still amazed that he was doing this. She didn't doubt that if anyone else in the family was put in this position, that they would step up and do the same thing. But somehow it was fitting that Jamie was the one being offered a chance to save a stranger's life like this. Truth be told, Jamie was by far the most selfless member of the family. Sure, they all helped people everyday through their work - helped save lives too - but Jamie was the least likely to consider the consequences for himself before jumping head first to help a stranger. He had a long history of trying to save every puppy in the pound, going back to his childhood. And then there was their mother...a sad smile appeared on Erin's face as she thought of her. "I can't help thinking of mom when I see you like this," she commented.

Jamie's head rolled along the pillow to meet his sister's eyes. He'd been thinking of their mother a lot too over the past few days. "Neither can I. I keep wondering if she would be here today if she could have been on the receiving end of something like this." The news of their mother's illness had hit them all like bomb, but not as badly as her rapid decline when treatments proved to be ineffective. And before anyone of them could accept what was happening, she was gone.

"Me too," Erin admitted sadly but smiled as she thought of something else. "She always knew you'd be a cop."

Jamie frowned at the comment. "She didn't want that for me." Their mom had been gone for years and still he worried about what she would have thought of his career switch...hell, he wondered if he would have even made the switch if she were still alive.

Erin's brows arched up high as she thought way back to a house full of four rambunctious kids. "She might not have, you were her baby after all, but she knew it was in your blood too, just as much, if not more so, than Danny and Joe." Their mother had once even confessed to Erin that it had surprised her that she hadn't followed in her father's footsteps like her older brothers.

"She made dad promise to keep me out of the family business too," Jamie stated.

"Lot of good that did," Erin snorted. "And like dad, she knew that when it came down to it, it wasn't her decision to make. That's not to say that it stopped her from saying a few prayers and encouraging your interest in the law after you announced it to everyone. She wanted at least one of her boys to stay safe, but she knew it might be near impossible. You were right in the thick of it with Danny and Joe when they'd run around the house playing detective. I don't think anyone was more surprised than she was when you started talking about law school in high school."

"I kind of got that...I think that's why I decided on law school," Jamie admitted which drew a look of confusion from Erin. "I just wanted to make her proud," Jamie said with a shrug. He faced forward and chewed on his lip as he thought back to that time. "That seems like a lifetime ago."

"Yeah, it does," Erin sighed. "She'd be so proud of you now, Jamie," she said, knowing that sometimes it helped to be reminded of things like that.

Jamie smiled in return, but was too choked up to reply.

Erin decided to lighten the mood before both of them ended up in tears. She gave Jamie a pointed look as she sat back in her chair. "She also would have been here with you through every second of the collection process holding your hand, mopping your brow and taking your pulse...heck, she would have been force feeding you worse than gramps would."

Jamie grinned as he closed his eyes. "Yeah...," he sighed wistfully as he pictured his mom nervously hovering over him while he probably brushed off every motherly act with a huff of annoyance. God what he would give to be mother-henned like that again. _If I knew then what I know now, I never would have taken things like that for granted_ , he thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Xxxxx

Jamie began to stir, awakened from a restful nap by the rich, heavenly aroma of one of his favorite culinary indulgences. His eyes slid open, blinking several times to clear away the fog as he sniffed the air appreciatively and turned his head to search for his sister. He was surprised when he found his partner instead, dressed in full uniform and stuffing her mouth with a forkful of cheesy noodles. Jamie observed her quietly until she realized she had an audience.

Eddie froze mid-chew, surprised to find her partner watching her with a drowsy smirk on his face. "Oh...hey, Reagan," Eddie said as she swallowed the last of her lunch. "You're awake! It's about time."

"What time is it? Where's Erin?" he asked while searching the rest of the room. She clearly had been here a while by the looks of her now-empty takeout container.

"She left," Eddie answered as she gathered her utensils and container and walked them over to the garbage can in the corner of the room. "She had court this afternoon," she added as she turned to look him over. "That's some set up you got there, Reagan. Almost did away with my appetite," she said with an exaggerated grimace.

Jamie chuckled. "Almost," he repeated as he glanced at the trash bin now holding the empty container. Eddie smiled sheepishly as she glanced behind her. "How'd you get stuck here?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It appeared that the powers that be had reached outside of the family circle again to find him a babysitter.

"Who says I got stuck with anything, partner?" Eddie said as she made her way back to his side. "You hungry? I brought your favorite food - mac and cheese - even though you'd probably deny it," she offered and turned to roll the bedside table in front of him, lowering it to the appropriate level over the recliner.

Jamie's stomach rumbled loudly in response to the open container before him and a slight blush rose on his cheeks.

"I'll take that as a yes," Eddie snickered as she twisted the cap off the bottle of water she had also brought him. "You better never make fun of me when I get hungry."

Jamie's brow furrowed. "That's impossible. You're ways hungry," he stated.

Eddie gasped at the blatant mischaracterization. "Hey, that's not true!" she objected, frowning as he pinned her with a knowing stare. "Okay, it's mostly true," she conceded with some annoyance. "Shut it, Reagan, and eat your lunch!" she ordered. "You okay to eat with your arms like that?"

"Why? You gonna feed me too?" Jamie grinned as he reached for the plastic fork.

"If you want. I'll even make airplane noises and everything to get you to eat all of your lunch," she teased.

"I got it," he smiled and went in for his first bite. A soft moan sounded from the back of his throat as he savored his lunch. "This is great. Thanks, Eddie."

"You're welcome," she beamed, pleased that she was being of some use. She hadn't realized how much she would miss riding with him while he was sidelined. "Got me out of spending the rest of shift with Renzulli...now that man can eat! And I got an extended meal because of you, thank you very much, but it also means I gotta write parking summonses for the rest of shift," she explained as she settled back down in the chair.

"You're welcome and I'm sorry," Jamie said as he took another bite.

Eddie nodded and eyed the catheters in each arm. "So...none of that hurts?"

Jamie put the fork down and examined his arms. "Nah, it's not too bad. It mainly just makes me sleepy."

"Well, I'm glad you did this, Reagan. But I'm even happier today's the last day because I'm ready to get back on patrol with my partner."

"Me too, but I still gotta play house mouse for a few tours before I'm cleared for patrol."

Xxxx

"Hey, kid," Danny greeted as he stepped toward his brother, stopping suddenly when he spotted the nurse working on removing the freaky-looking devices from Jamie's arms.

Jamie looked from Sara to Danny, amused by the look of horror he wore on his face. "Hey, Danny. I guess you're my ride home?"

Danny grimaced slightly when the first needle was carefully pulled free. "Yeah, that's me...you're own private chauffeur at your service," he said once he finally managed to shift his eyes away from the nurse's doings. "Just saw Eddie on the way in," he commented while pointing over his shoulder at the exit behind him.

"Yeah, she got roped into second shift babysitting me," Jamie said, turning back to watch Sara.

Danny's forehead wrinkled at slight exasperation in his brother's tone. "Nobody got roped into anything, kid. We all just want to make sure all of that goes well," he countered while waving one hand in Sara's direction.

Jamie was amused again when the grimace reappeared on his big, macho brother's face. "What? You afraid of needles, big brother?"

Sara grinned to herself as she pulled out the second and much larger needle from Jamie's arm.

"Those are some big needles," Danny muttered under her breath. He wasn't sure how Jamie managed to let them stick him with those damn things.

"What was that?" Jamie asked even though he'd heard him clearly.

"Nothing," Danny shrugged and took a seat, loosening his tie while the nurse finished applying a bandage.

"Alright, Jamie. You're done. Just hang tight for a few minutes to make sure you're feeling okay before you get up and go.

"Okay. Thanks, Sara."

"Sure thing, Jamie. You take care now," Sara said as she picked up her tray and left the brothers alone.

Jamie sat up in the recliner and leaned forward to grab his sneakers when the room began to spin a little. He sat up straight and brought his shoes onto his lap, closing his eyes until the vertigo passed.

"You alright, Jamie?" Danny asked worriedly, easily noticing that the kid looked off balance even in a seated position.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I get dizzy at the end, but it'll pass in a minute," he said while he worked on getting his shoes onto his feet. "Nothing some sleep won't fix."

"You need a chair? I can wheel you outta here," Danny offered.

"No, I don't need a chair," Jamie huffed. "Just gimme a minute," he requested. With his shoes on, he sat back against the recliner. The last thing he needed was to take a nose dive toward the floor in front of Danny, of all people.

"Fine, geez," Danny grumbled in response, reminding himself to stick close to the kid on the way out in case he needed to break his fall.

* * *

"He lives!" Henry announced to the room when a groggy Jamie shuffled into the kitchen the next morning.

Henry and Frank were having breakfast when they received unexpected visits from both Erin and Danny, most likely checking in on their brother after he completed the donation yesterday, however both claimed to just be in the neighborhood at 7:30am. Danny had been the one to drop Jamie off late in the afternoon and he had opted to go to bed as soon as he walked through the door, but not before Henry had forced some food and drink down his throat. Henry had then correctly predicted that they wouldn't be seeing him again that evening. Sure enough, Jamie didn't even stir on the few occasions Frank had checked on him after he arrived home from work.

"Morning, son. How are you feeling?" Frank asked while observing his youngest pass by them quietly, bleary-eyed and seemingly operating on auto-pilot as the aroma of the freshly-brewed dark French roast called out to him.

Jamie made his way to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup, taking a sip before turning to face the group. "Tired," he finally rasped as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as proof while walking over to join them at the table.

"How's that possible? You've been asleep for the last fourteen hours!" Danny grumbled.

"Let's see how you feel after having all your blood pumped out of you five times," Jamie mumbled.

Erin's smirk turned to a frown when she spotted dark shadows across the inside of her little brother's arms and on the top of his hands. "Wow! Is that bruising from the needles?" she asked while taking hold of his left hand in hers to get a better look.

Jamie laid his arms across the table to examine them. "Yeah," he confirmed.

"Looks painful," she commented.

"Yeah, they're sore. My arms feel a little stiff too," he added and grimaced as he brought his right hand up to support his head.

"If I were you, I'd cover up those arms before you go out in public. People are gonna think gramps is beating on you in here," Danny joked as he dived back into the breakfast his grandfather threw together for him.

Henry and Frank traded smiles. Both men were relieved the collection process was over and that Jamie was no worse for wear. Now they left it in God's hands that this precious gift would do some good for the child that would receive it.

"Well, you got another day off and then it's back to precinct duty for you," Frank said as he stood and began to pack up his briefcase.

"Yay," Jamie deadpanned and went back to drinking his coffee, too tired to move or offer up any other reaction to being grounded at the precinct for a few more tours.

Frank smiled fondly at his youngest. _Yeah, he'll be fine_ , he thought to himself.

* * *

 _I think I got all of the important characters in for babysitting duty!_

 _Thanks again to BlueBlood 82 and Laura Louisa Lewis for the input. And much thanks to everyone who has reviewed; sorry I have not been able to get back to all of you, but every one of your messages is very much appreciated!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _One Year Later..._

"Would you hurry it up, Reagan! We're gonna miss the beginning!" Eddie complained as she pushed Jamie through the front door of his apartment.

Jamie barely had a chance to pull his key out of the lock as two hands shoved him forward, nearly losing the brown paper bag and thick pile of mail he was clutching against his chest. "I'm going, I'm going, jeez...so bossy!" Jamie huffed over his shoulder as Eddie threw the door closed behind her and zoomed past him.

Eddie honed in on the remote sitting in its customary spot on the coffee table and silently thanked her boyfriend for his normally annoying OCD tendencies as she turned the TV on to her favorite Sunday night program. "I wouldn't have to rush you if you didn't insist on picking up your mail," she grumbled. "I can't miss a minute of it. I need to know if that guy died in the thing!"

"A guy dies in every episode!" Jamie pointed out as he met her in the living room and dropped the bag containing the junk food that he only seemed to consume when he was with Eddie - 'mandatory TV snacks,' she called them. "And they have this thing called DVRs now, Eddie. I didn't think you were _that_ into this show," he drawled as he dropped onto the cushion next to her and shuffled through the mail that had piled up in his box over the past week.

"It's a great show, very realistic...well that's actually not such a great thing," she said while reaching for one of the bags of miniature-sized chocolate bars they had picked up.

"No, it's not. Sadly, they don't stray too far from some of the crazy things we sometimes hear about," Jamie responded as he sorted bills and other mail that required his attention from the junk.

"Yeah, plus the lead character kicks ass. It's not often you see a strong woman in a lead like that...and that's forgetting about the fact they tried to make her out to be a nutjob so that everyone dismisses her," Eddie explained before popping the first piece of chocolate into her mouth.

"She's kinda hot too," Jamie commented just as his hands stilled, surprised by the return address on one of the envelopes.

"Of course," Eddie sighed with a roll her blue eyes as she turned to face Jamie, fully expecting to find a smirk on his face, but instead she found a frown with his eyes clearly focused on the envelope in his hands. "Whatcha got there?" she inquired.

"Huh?"

"What's got you zoned out?" she asked, worried it was something bad by the expression on his face.

"Oh, uh, it's a letter from the bone marrow registry people," he answered, lifting the envelope to show it to her.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Jamie nodded but made no move to see what was inside.

"Well? You gonna open it or are you just gonna sit there and stare at it all night?"

"Just wonder what they got to say. Haven't heard peep from them since after the donation. What if it's bad news?" he fretted. It was shocking to be receiving anything from them now. Jamie had often wondered what happened on the other end with his donation and the five year old recipient. And now a whole year had passed and so many things had changed in his life - the biggest and best change was sitting right next to him - and he was afraid of getting anything but good news when everything else was so going so well.

"Could be good, but the only way to know is if you open it," Eddie encouraged him. She was also dying to see if there was anything on his recipient and crossed her fingers that his donation had helped the little kid.

Jamie met her eyes for a brief moment before tearing into the envelope, relieved that he wasn't alone as he pulled out another sealed one inside, this one bearing a return address in Seattle, Washington. The couple traded questioning looks before he repeated the act, this time producing two folded pieces of paper. Together, they read the first page...

 _Dear Donor,_

 _There are no words we can offer, nothing we could ever do to truly express how forever grateful our family is for the tremendous gift of life you have given our son, Zachary. Zach has been battling ALL for over two years and to learn that he was in remission and eligible for stem cell donation was the answer to almost all of our prayers. Our last prayers were answered throughout this last year when we learned that someone out there not only was his match but was also willing to donate to a complete stranger. And then to have your stem cells do their job and show Zach's body how to work correctly again...it's the miracle we have been praying for ever since we received his devastating diagnosis. And now, he is a happy, healthy kid again thanks to you!_

 _Aside from knowing how incredibly generous you are, all we know about you is your sex and age. Somehow that does not seem like enough, for us and especially for the little boy whose life you have saved and who has asked everyday since he learned that a complete stranger would be providing him with the precious stem cells needed to knock his ALL out for good. Zach doesn't understand why a stranger would do this for him and that's without even knowing all of the inconveniences and discomfort you must have experienced to provide him with this life-saving gift. He has requested over and over (and over and over) to meet his hero!_

 _So we welcome the chance to put a name and a face to this most selfless act. We'll travel anywhere at anytime to meet you, you name it. We hope that you too can have a chance to see the miracle you have gifted us with._

 _We hope to hear from you soon._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Lauren and Bill Chamberlain_

 _p.s. Enclosed is a little thank you from Zach, just a small expression of his thanks until we can meet - if that is something you choose to do._

"Wow," Eddie whispered as the words on the page sank in and her eyes grew teary...she was such a sucker for happy endings. "Looks like you got your wish, babe," she said as she wiped the moisture from her eyes. Her much-anticipated program began to air, but it was no longer relevant compared to the news they'd received.

"Yeah," Jamie said. He was choked up by the letter and the offer to meet in person and cleared his throat as he brought the second page to the top, laughing softly as he took in Zach's crayon drawing: a super hero dressed in yellow from head to toe with a red cape flying across a light blue sky in between fluffy white clouds and tethered to a smiling boy on ground by a long, curling red line with the words 'THANK YOU' written out in bright yellow block letters. That got him as choked up as the letter.

"That deserves prime real estate on that bare fridge of yours, Reagan, where you can see it everyday," Eddie said as she dropped her head onto his shoulder and admired the colorful masterpiece in his hands. It was hard to believe so much time had passed already and to finally know the donation had been worthwhile was indescribable.

It had been hard not knowing what was happening to his recipient - to Zach - with the registry's strict rules prohibiting communication during the year after donation. Knowing there was no way around them, Jamie had instead focused on increasing awareness of The National Bone Marrow Registry. He started small at first, barely needing to say much to convince the members of his family who were eligible to register to sign up and get swabbed along with Eddie and some of his closer friends and colleagues that knew of his experience. But once time rolled around for the NYPD's yearly drive, he succeeded in getting a large number of the officers from the Twelfth and a few of the surrounding precincts registered as well. For the next drive, he was setting his sights on several additional precincts, determined to increase the registry numbers from the previous year.

Eddie grabbed the letter from Jamie's hand and read the writing at the very bottom. "They included their email address. You gonna write them back?"

"Of course," Jamie responded automatically. This is what he had been waiting for, he just had to figure out what he was going to say.

Eddie lifted her head and raised a brow at him. "Well?"

"Well what?" Jamie questioned, not understanding what she wanted.

"What are you waiting for? Grab your laptop, Jamie," Eddie ordered.

"What? You mean now?" Jamie asked as he checked the time on his watch.

"Yeah, now!" Eddie exclaimed in exasperation as she got up from the couch to grab his laptop from the dining room table. "First off, it's earlier where they are and second, it's email...not like you're gonna wake them or interrupt them in the middle of dinner or something. That letter's probably been sitting in your mailbox all week. They're probably thinking you don't want to meet them," she worried while sitting back down next to him and brought up the email program on his laptop.

"Okay...what do I say?" Jamie wondered as Eddie placed the computer on his lap. "This is what I've been waiting for...why am I nervous about sending an email all of a sudden?" he asked as a new message window popped up on the screen.

Eddie could understand how he was feeling, but she knew it would come to him. "Just start writing, Jamie. You'll know what to say," she said.

Jamie nodded and took Eddie's advice as his fingers began flying across the keyboard, typing out a message to the Chamberlain Family that came as easily to him as if he were writing to a member of his own family. And so it began, as donor and recipient family began to communicate from opposite sides of the country. They went from exchanging emails to trading phone calls and then took part in lively conversations over Facetime which soon were centered around plans to meet. Jamie offered to make the trip to Seattle figuring that it would be easier for them, but the Chamberlain Family, led mostly by Zach's pleas to hop on a plane for the first time ever and visit New York, insisted on meeting Jamie in his hometown. With his dad's help and a search on the internet, Zach quickly made a laundry list of the places in the Big Apple that he wanted to visit, but over all, he was enthralled by the idea that Jamie was a police officer and begged for a chance to visit where he worked, soon proclaiming his plans to be a big city police officer when he grew up.

* * *

Frank pulled three ice cold bottles of beer from the cooler and looked up into the late afternoon sky, thankful that the approaching change in season had provided them with a milder temperature today than what they had been experiencing throughout this historically hot summer. Frank smiled as he took in the groups scattered across the back of the house, each enjoying a more casual Sunday than they were typically used to with burgers and hotdogs grilled out in the backyard. Wine glasses were traded for red Solo cups, china for paper plates and no one could have been happier.

The Reagans were hosting the Chamberlains on their last day in New York City. They'd arrived the previous Tuesday night to tour the city and most importantly to meet Jamie in person, eager to give a more proper thank you to the one person they felt was responsible for the active little boy who was taking a dominating role in a competitive game of three-on-three basketball and running circles around Danny to distract him as Jamie gave Nicky the assist for a nice layup.

The women cheered on from their table under the shade of an old oak as they chatted and sipped on their own beverages. Lauren had easily fit in, the young mother finding much in common with Eddie, Linda and Erin. The ladies had found her strength throughout Zach's illness admirable and hoped that the little family faced no more adversity, especially when it came to the little boy's health.

Frank approached Bill and Henry at the patio table on the back deck, offering them each a bottle. With all of the food consumed and the day winding down, they were enjoying the last few moments together before the Chamberlains headed back to their hotel and eventually to Seattle the very next day where Zach would soon be entering the first grade and looking forward to a school year with no long absences to seek medical treatment.

"Thanks, Frank," Bill said as he took the bottle.

"You're welcome."

Bill took a pull from his bottle before giving Zach a smile and a thumbs up when the little boy sought his attention after Jamie lifted him to the basket for a slam dunk. "These last few days have been amazing for all of us. Jamie has shown us just about everything there is to see in the city. I think he might have a future with the tourism bureau," he joked.

"I'm not sure that boy's cut out for anything other than being a cop, but he sure does love this city," Henry commented as he gripped his own beer.

"Well, with that tour of his precinct he gave us, I have no doubt Zach will be in uniform some day. All of the time he's spent with us these last few days has been amazing; he's gone above and beyond to make this trip unforgettable for Zach, I hope we haven't monopolized his time. And it means a lot to us that you've opened your home to us today."

"We wouldn't have it any other way. We've been just as eager as Jamie over the past year to get some news on Zach and to meet all of you. It was a wonderful surprise when Jamie received your letter," Frank said.

"Not more surprising than finding out that he'd have a chance for the stem cell treatment. It's a hell of a thing to see your own kid going through that illness," Bill said sadly, clearly unaware that Henry knew exactly what he was talking about. "What's worse is being a match to your own kid and not being able to donate because of our own health issues. Lauren and I were ready to raise hell over that before the doctors told us to give them a chance to find a donor with the registry. We would have given anything to be the ones to help our son...as a parent, you feel like it's your duty to fix everything when it comes to your kids. It's something we still struggle with even though everything turned out for the best."

Frank glanced at his father and Henry gave him a tight smile, assuring him that he was alright. Meeting the family and seeing little Zach so healthy and active had been good for his soul.

"Jamie will be the first to tell you that it's brought him a lot of joy to have been able to help Zach. And you're all welcome back anytime, Bill," Henry insisted. "We hope to continue to get updates on how Zach's doing. You got a heck of a kid there."

"So do you," Bill directed at Frank. Their family hoped to continue this friendship with Jamie and his family considering what he had done for them. He was all Zach had talked about since they'd met in person on Wednesday.

 _Jamie and Eddie stood outside the entrance to the Central Park Zoo early Wednesday afternoon. He, Bill and Lauren had chosen the casual setting for their first meeting so that they could also cross one of Zach's must-see destinations off his list. And what better way to get to know each other than by touring the zoo and letting the energetic six year old run loose?_

 _Jamie wiped away the perspiration he could feel dotting his forehead and squinted into the relentless September sunshine; he wasn't completely certain that the heat was the only reason he was sweating; some of it was due to their impending meeting but it was more excitement than nerves._

 _"You ready for this?" Eddie asked, having noticed the quick swipe of his face._

 _"Of course," Jamie replied as he searched the crowds for the three faces he'd memorized from the many photos and online chats they'd shared. The family was running a few minutes late, for which Jamie could not begrudge them what with the jetlag and long flight they'd had to endure the day before. But he was eager to meet them and was just about to say something else to Eddie when he was cut off by a child's voice calling his name from a distance. Both Jamie and Eddie turned toward the continued shouts, spotting a young red-headed little boy with bright blue eyes pulling free from his parents' hold as he made a break for the familiar young man and his girlfriend._

 _"Hey, Zach!" Jamie beamed as the little boy ran towards him, barreling into him as he came in for a hug around Jamie's waist. Jamie let out a muffle 'oomph' as Eddie chuckled and placed a hand along his back to steady him, but the smile never fell from his face and his throat tightened at the strength of Zachs's hold. "Hey, buddy," he greeted as he brought his arms down around the boy and blinked the unexpected moisture from his eyes._

 _"Hi Jamie! We're finally here!" Zach said excitedly as he looked up into the face of his new friend._

 _"I see that, bud! It's good to finally meet you in person." Jamie and Eddie smiled at each other before turning to meet Bill and Lauren._

 _"Jamie," Lauren smiled, her eyes teary as she finally met the person she owed so much to. Zach let go of Jamie, making room for Lauren to step in for a hug. "Thank you so much," she whispered into his ear as she held him tight, unable to keep the emotion out of her voice. She'd said it before and had spoken to him so many times over the last few months, it felt like they were all old friends. But to be here in person with him brought back the rollercoaster of emotions they'd experienced over the last several years._

 _"My pleasure," Jamie rasped, touched by her greeting._

 _Bill was equally choked up and pulled Jamie into a quick man-hug. "It's great to finally meet you, Jamie," he said as Eddie and Lauren got acquainted next to them and Zach buzzed around them excited by what awaited him on the other side of the gate._ _"I hope you're ready for Hurricane Zach. He's been jumping out of his skin to get here and have you show us around town," Bill warned with a grin._

 _"I got a brother and two nephews at home I could describe the same way, Bill. I think I'm ready," Jamie laughed as his eyes trailed after the little boy he'd been wanting to meet for over a year._

 _"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Bill fired back._

 _"Come on, Jamie! Let's go see the animals! They got a snow leopard!" Zach pleaded as he took hold of Jamie's hand and pulled him along toward the entrance, leaving three amused adults behind._

"We're all family now, Bill," Frank declared as he watched Jamie carry Zach on his shoulders to keep the ball out of his brother's hands, the two laughing as Danny playfully accused the pair of cheating. "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life," Frank quoted, knowing Jamie and Zach now held a bond that would last a lifetime.

 _The End_

* * *

 _That's it! I can't believe it's done, especially considering how long I let it sit around! I'm so happy so many enjoyed this story and hope to be back on here soon!_

 _And yes, I snuck a little Jamko in there...I had to, but my intention was to not let it take away from the main focus of the story._


End file.
